4 Reasons European Companies Are Investing in Localization
What is something that over half of global consumers believe is more important than price? The ability to obtain information in their native language. And with the world becoming increasingly global, your consumers are now living at all edges of the world and likely already consuming the localized content of your competitors.
At the core of any successful business is the ability to relate to your customer, which become a bigger challenge as you expand your reach to international markets requiring different languages and cultural terminologies. However, there is one secret weapon that successful global businesses are using to better connect and engage with their international audiences: localization.
In fact, adapting a website to the local market is the number one way a business can show its target consumer base that it is truly invested in the community and respects the population’s heritage and culture. Read on for more fundamental reasons – pulled from our latest EU Localization Guide — that more European companies are investing in localization to reach their global audiences.
1. Take Control of Your Global Marketing Message
When you don’t actively localize your website and product content into the native language of your target market, audiences are left to interpret the message on their own – through ad hoc translation tools that may leave much to be desired when directly translating your content. By translating your own content, companies take back the control of the brand and message to ensure that their target audience understands their message, brand values, and, most importantly, the solution being offered.
2. Build Brand Loyalty from First Interaction to Repeat Purchases
As the above has shown, translating content makes it easier for customers to get the information needed to make an informed decision, which in turn translates into more revenue and brand loyalty for the company. This effect becomes even more powerful as you move further down the buyer journey and build relationships with your customers beyond the first interaction. In fact, 74% of people polled would be more likely to make another purchase if post-sales support was available in their language.
3. Increase Engagement, Conversions, and Revenue
Studies have found that that majority of people will only engage with websites in their native language and nearly half won’t purchase products from a website that is in a foreign language. So, by translating content, companies increase engagement and conversions in the respective target market. Furthermore, localization also acts a bridge internally — connecting and scaling the efforts of product, development, and marketing teams to be able to scale their content to reach global markets.
4. Capture the Rising Demand of Non-EU Markets
In recent years, the rate of international expansion is reaching new heights across all markets. To adapt for and capitalize on this trend, global companies are utilizing smart strategies and investments to capture the great new opportunities from abroad. For example, leading global companies like Booking.com have launched new global localization-driven campaigns to gain a substantial share of domestic markets abroad, a part of a greater wave of meaningful localization by global brands that recognizing this method as the key to getting a deeper reach into global markets.
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Now, more than ever, is the time to start localizing your content and expanding your reach. To learn more about why more European companies are investing in localization, download our latest guide — Localization for EU Companies. From how to overcome the key challenges that all companies face when localizing into new markets, to best practices for building localized content, this guide will equip you with the trends and best practices that will help you stay ahead of the international curve.